Top 5 Tips to Master Food Prep

Do you have food prepping perfectionists taking over your Instagram on Sunday afternoons? Do their perfectly mapped out meal plans have you feeling guilty/ annoyed at their dedicated and disciplined life? If you are nodding your head yes, right now, I am happy to let you know that you are SOOOO not alone. I too feel the same way and I am a Holistic Health Coach. However, do not fear I am here to tell you that food prepping does not have to be such a daunting task! Just as there is no perfect diet for everybody, there is also no perfect style of meal prepping. But as my clients can attest, developing your own system of food prep can not only save you money and calories but it can help you heal your relationship to food and gain control of your eating habits.

So, now that you know that there isn’t a wrong way of doing it here are my top 5 tips to getting started and making food prep realistic and simple for the everyday Shining Person.

1) Buy Frozen/ Freeze Your Own.

Yes! You can buy frozen produce! Having some staple veggies and fruits ready for you when you are ready to eat them is the perfect way to make sure you don’t waste food and always have options in the house. Plus, frozen produce can be even more nutritious than fresh as it is picked at it’s peak to be immediately flash frozen keeping all of the nutrients intact. Another great option is buying from your local farmer’s market and freezing what you don’t think you will get to eat before it spoils.

2) Create an Essentials Food Shopping Staples List.

One of the most effective tools I make with my clients is their individualized Essentials Food Shopping Staples list. This is simply a list compiled of all of the foods you know you usually eat through the week. For example, your favorite grain, animal protein, fresh/frozen produce, nuts, seeds, beans, nut milk, on-the-go snack etc. Use this list as a checklist every time you are about to go food shopping. If you notice you are out of something on your essentials list be sure to pick it up the next time you go food shopping, this is a great way to assure you are always stocked.

3) Dedicate a Cooking Time that works for your Schedule.

Meal prep time does not have to mean Sunday morning! It’s whatever works for you and your schedule. If you know you have a 2-hour break on any given day dedicate it to cooking your grain, veggie and or dinner choice of the week. Once you have some of those staples made you can turn them into different meals throughout the week. Take on the “cook once, eat twice (or more)” mentality.

4) Containers, they are like $3.

The best investment you can make to become a meal prep master to find some fun containers. Containers are not only completely inexpensive and help you store/take your meals on-the-go but they also help with creating appropriate portions for your body. Double win. Mason Jars are my favorite type of container as they are made of non-toxic glass and are badass. However, if plastic is your jam just be sure to buy the BPA free kind as you don’t want yucky chemicals getting into your home cooked loving food.

5) If you think about food prep, then you WILL food prep!

To begin the practice of food prepping I encourage you to take on a positive and open-minded mentality! Cooking and experimenting in the kitchen is all about having fun, making delicious mistakes and remembering that in no way shape or form does it have to be perfect (unless you are baking, which is why I could never be a baker.) Do some trial and error to create a system that works for you and OWN it. If some weeks the food prep doesn’t happen, so what? It doesn’t mean you failed at it, just pick up where you left off next week. And don’t forget to use the good old world wide web as a reference. With Pinterest and tons of foo d bloggers out there you will never run out of ideas to try on yourself.

So there you go, not so scary after all. Go ahead and embrace your inner Food Prepper, you won’t go back!